The invention relates primarily to a bed assembly, and component parts thereof, specifically designed for use in long term care facilities for the aged, commonly and frequently referred to as nursing homes. The nursing home environment is completely different from a hospital environment and this uniqueness provides special design considerations for the furnishings utilized in such environments. A general disclosure and discussion of a system taking cognizance of the general design criteria is provided in copending patent application Ser. No. 136,095 filed Mar. 31, 1980 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,042 by Joseph A. Koncelik, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,042. The present invention relates to a particular bed assembly, and component parts, for use in such a geriatric system.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an assembly for use with a bed including a mattress and a mattress supporting frame having a plurality of legs for supporting a mattress off the ground, are provided. The assembly includes bolsters, such as shown in said copending application Ser. No. 136,095, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,042 elongated in parallel directions of elongation and mounted with respect to the mattress so that they are disposed along opposite sides of the mattress exteriorly of the mattress supporting frame. Such bolster mounting means includes an undercarriage support structure for receiving legs of the mattress supporting frame with which it may be utilized to prevent substantial movement of the legs with respect to the bolsters. The undercarriage support structure is simple in design and provides a structure that is capable of readily positioning the bolsters with respect to the mattress in an operative position, and allows for mounting of the bolsters so that they may be readily removed for cleaning, repair, etc. The undercarriage support structure may include a pair (or more) of horizontal channel-shaped members, which in turn may include vertically extending end portions and horizontally extending extensions generally perpendicular to the horizontal channel-shaped members. The vertical end structures receive cooperating structure on the bolsters for allowing ready removable mounting of the bolsters on the frame structure, and the horizontal extensions allow ready movement of the bed into place on the undercarriage support. The undercarriage support includes vertically adjustable floor glides which allow adjustment of the position of the bed to accommodate uneven floor surfaces.
Mounted at the head of the bed assembly, preferably directly to the bolsters, is a rail means that provides a roll-off preventing function in an upward position thereof, but is movable below the level of the top of the mattress out of the way. The rail means are constructed so that an operator must use both hands to move the rail means between the above mattress and below-mattress positions, and must actuate actuating means in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the rail means. This greatly reduces the probability that any unauthorized actuation of the rail means may be effected by a person in the bed having limited ambulatory capabilities.
The rail means also comprise telescopic first and second portions which allow adjustment of the length of the rail along the bed. The length may be shortened to allow ready access to the bed (not preventing ingress to the central portion of the bed and providing a handhold for facilitating ingress), yet provides a complete roll-off preventing function when extended.
In general, the structures comprising the bed assembly according to the present invention are ideally suited to nursing home environments, taking into account many of the needs, capabilities, and limitation of aged people, to facilitate maximum safety, comfort and control.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a bed assembly and component parts thereof especially adapted for use in the nursing home environment. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.